A Position on Rethinking HCI Practices in Dynamic Consent: Balancing Privacy, Trust, Safety, and Risk Communication for Enhanced System Reliability

As systems in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) evolve, traditional consent models are increasingly inadequate to address the challenges of privacy, trust, safety, and risk management. Static, one-time consent mechanisms fail to keep pace with the dynamic nature of data-driven interactions and autonomous devices. This paper explores the potential of dynamic consent as a conceptual framework for enhancing user control, system reliability, and risk management in HCI. Dynamic consent provides a flexible, adaptive approach to consent that allows users to adjust their preferences in real-time, promoting transparency, privacy, and trust while reducing consent fatigue. This is crucial in IoT contexts where systems operate autonomously, collecting data passively with minimal user interaction. Furthermore, the cross-border flow of data presents complexities in consent management, as consent across digital borders must respect different jurisdictional regulations while protecting individual rights. This paper explores the interplay between dynamic consent and key concepts such as digital sovereignty, where individuals maintain control over their digital identity, and consent fatigue, which erodes user engagement, and trust. As data becomes a valuable commodity within data markets and digital value chains, data reuse requires flexible consent models that ensure transparency. It argues that while static consent models undermine privacy and trust, dynamic consent offers a more flexible and adaptive approach. This approach allows users to adjust their consent preferences in real-time, reducing consent fatigue and improving system transparency. Instead of proposing specific solutions, this paper advocates for rethinking HCI practices within the context of dynamic consent, particularly in the area of risk communication. To that end, we address the following Research Question (RQ): How can dynamic consent be framed to balance privacy, trust, safety, and risk management in Human-Computer Interaction?

Keywords: Autonomy, Digital sovereignty, HCI, IoT, Privacy, Risk, Safety, Transparency, Trust.